Under the operation of the Kamisato Clan, a periodical named "Inazuma Times" was launched at Yae Publishing House. Of course, there was no slanderous information in it.
The first thing to do was to establish its position in the hearts of the Inazuma people, because if people didn't believe it at all, what was the point of writing it?
So, the first issue of the Times contained the latest news about Inazuma, such as how to handle procedures for entering and exiting Ritou, and the start of construction for the Thousand-Armed, Hundred-Eyed God Statue.
First, start with something generally accepted to gain the trust of the public, and then you can slip in private goods.
Similar to: Shocking! The Fatui actually blah blah blah...
Anyway, it was all to lead them towards a negative perception, after all, the Fatui could do anything.
They were the ultimate scapegoats of Teyvat (wry smile).
And what about the Fatui at this time? They had already stationed a large number of soldiers on Yashiori Island. The Evil Eye Factory was under construction in full swing, just waiting for the Vision Hunt Decree to be issued.
The power of the Delusion comes from Archon power. To optimize it, only large-scale experiments are possible, and when it comes to experiments, what is faster than a war?
Watatsumi Island had suffered under the Shogunate for a long time; just a slight provocation would bring out a large number of people.
As she thought of her flawless plan, the girl's lips curved into a smile.
But then she remembered the mysterious person who had released killing intent towards her. A person of unknown identity and strength equivalent to a Harbinger was clearly an unstable factor.
"Is there any way to lure this person out?"
The girl thought carefully, but since there were no clues, she could only leave it as it was for now.
'Forget it, I'll be going to Mondstadt in a few days anyway. Let you continue to jump around in Inazuma!'
The Tsaritsa had issued the command to collect the Gnoses of the Seven Nations. Before the official operation, Harbingers could lay out their plans in various nations, but the first to be collected must be the Anemo Archon's Gnosis.
The girl didn't know why her Tsaritsa had given such an order, but she didn't care. Anyway, she was no longer a person of that nation long ago.
The bitter cold of Snezhnaya had Frozen her passionate heart. The Pyro Witch who had burned everything for her beloved was dead. Now, she was the proud Fatui Harbinger, the girl.
...
There was still over a week until the agreed time with Kujou Renji, so Shiki was not in a hurry. She planned to self-study Alkahestry.
She didn't need a very profound level; being able to Craft potions was enough.
Alkahestry is not some magical technique; on the contrary, the knowledge contained within it is vast, and it can be entirely seen as a branch of technology.
From "Calx" to "The Gold," Alkahestry has a complete and complex theory. What science can achieve, Alkahestry can also achieve.
Conversely, certain things that science cannot achieve can be done through Alkahestry.
For example, a seed. Alkahestry can instantly ripen it, which science cannot do—at least in Shiki's understanding, science cannot do this.
Moreover, Alkahestry can even create life. A certain inconspicuous Albedo in the game is the product of Khaenri'ah's chief alchemist, "The Gold."
Kreideprinz, as the name suggests, is a life created using Calx techniques, and Calx is only second in Alkahestry.
Above Calx are Crimson and "The Gold"; it's hard to imagine what heights they can reach.
Alkahestry is not a mysterious subject in Teyvat; even basic Alkahestry textbooks are readily available in bookstores.
But precisely because it is too difficult, who would be willing to learn a subject that is even very difficult to get into?
Except for those with exceptional Talents and a passion for Alkahestry, most people give up after a brief look.
Shiki took out the basic Alkahestry textbook she had bought on the way back. The first page she opened contained a phrase etched into her DNA.
"Earth, fire, wind, water, heed my command. Recreate the four elements, reshape the five phases."
Most Alkahestry cannot be done without an alchemy Crafting Bench, and those two sentences were the commands to activate the Crafting Bench.
There are three positions on the Crafting Bench: a fully blue circle, a half-blue circle, and an empty circle with nothing.
However, no matter how Shiki looked at it, they resembled the moon!
Full blue was a full moon, half blue was a crescent moon, and the empty circle was a lunar eclipse, representing the three different states of the moon.
But isn't there only a full moon in Teyvat?
Or was it that long ago, Teyvat had moon phases?
Shiki couldn't help but make such a guess in her mind. Before she transmigrated, mhy had only released three nations, and even the regions of these three nations hadn't been fully brought to life yet. The worldview presented by Teyvat was just the tip of the iceberg.
A certain poor… great astrologer once said that the starry sky of Teyvat was fake. Combining this with the statement of the three Moon Goddesses, it's highly possible that Teyvat in ancient times was completely different from now.
The so-called three Moon Goddesses were Moon of the Sky, Moon of the Abyss, and Moon of the Crimson. There's a lot of research into this, but unfortunately, the information revealed in the game before she transmigrated was too little.
Shifting her attention back to Alkahestry, it stated that one only needed to place the materials on the Alkahestry table in a specific order and then activate it with Mora.
"I feel like… it's not that hard to get started?" Shiki felt a bit puzzled.
The book had already written out the permutations and combinations; as long as one followed them, it would work. Why would it be said to be difficult to get started?
Could it be because the Alkahestry table was difficult to control? It couldn't be because the people of Teyvat were too stupid, right?
Shiki decided to collect some materials and give it a try. As for the Alkahestry table, she could borrow one from Ogura Shop in Inazuma City.
She originally wanted to make an Insulating Potion, but to make that, she needed fresh butterfly wings and Electro Crystal. Electro Crystal was easy to get, as ore shops sold it, but it was February now, where would she find butterflies?
So Shiki switched her target to a Heat-Resistant Potion. Crystalfly were available year-round everywhere, and Mist Flower could be bought in Inazuma City.
Closing the book, Shiki walked out the door and teleported to Araumi. There were many Crystalfly here; she could find a whole bunch with a casual search.
It was a pity that Ioroi had gone into hibernation, otherwise, the speed of capture would have been much faster. So why do Yokai still need to hibernate? This is too outrageous.
Shiki expressed her incomprehension, "You're a great Yokai who has lived for hundreds of years, do you still need to hibernate?"
After catching Crystalfly and buying Mist Flower, Shiki crafted her first Heat-Resistant Potion in Ogura Shop's shop.
This item could fetch a good price at the foot of Dragonspine. The secrets there attracted countless Adventurers to explore, and Heat-Resistant Potions had already become a hot commodity there.
But the question came back again: Alkahestry wasn't difficult to learn, so why couldn't so many people learn it?
Shiki was very puzzled about this, because the manual basically listed every step, and one could Craft it by simply following the instructions.
Perhaps Albedo knew why, but Shiki had no clue at the moment, and besides, for now, it wasn't an important matter. She would deal with it later.
"Oh right, perhaps those two who are always wandering in the wilderness might need this."
Inazuma's winter wasn't particularly cold, and with Shiki's physique, she didn't need this Heat-Resistant Potion, but Kazuha and Fujiwara might.
The weather in the wilderness was naturally harsher than in the city, so perhaps they would need this item.
Thinking this, Shiki used the Alkahestry table to make three more Heat-Resistant Potions. She hadn't caught many Crystalfly in total; it was just for experimentation, and these were all she had.
As for how to give the potions to the two, Shiki wasn't worried. No matter how beautiful the wilderness scenery was, they would eventually return to the city for supplies.
Shiki only needed to deposit the potions at the Adventurers' Guild, and then Catherine would hand them over to them.
After finishing these, Shiki returned home. Seeing Tejima using his Vision to make a fire, Shiki couldn't help but ask, "Uncle Tejima, have you ever thought about going to Liyue?"
"Liyue? Of course, I have thought about it, but not now. I'm afraid that if I leave, she won't find me when she returns." Tejima shook his head.
Seeing this, Shiki became even more determined to take Tejima to Liyue. Although she wasn't sure if Lanxi was the person Tejima was waiting for, she still had to confirm it in person.
It would also be a way to put a thought to rest, after all, Lanxi was already dead.
"I'm telling you, waiting for her here forever isn't a solution!" Shiki sighed, rubbing her forehead.
"Then what other way is there? Even if I want to go out and look for her, with the Shogun's sakoku decree, I can't leave!"
"So, if there was no sakoku decree, you would go out?"
"Perhaps, but Raiden Shogun is immortal, and the period of isolation has no end. This is basically impossible!"
Tejima seemed very pessimistic, but this was an unavoidable situation, so Shiki didn't think much of it.
Raiden Shogun was the strongest symbol of Inazuma. The Shogun's orders could not be disobeyed; this was the belief in the hearts of all Inazuma people.
To change it, one could only speak with facts. No amount of words would be as effective as lifting the sakoku decree.
Shiki said nothing more, merely returning to her room in silence.
A week later...
The Inazuma Times had initially made an impression in the hearts of the people, but today she had another matter to attend to, which was to go to the Tenryou Commission headquarters.
"Miss Ryougi, you've finally arrived."
"Hmm, it's not too late, is it?"
"Not at all, not at all, it's just that I've been waiting for a while." Kujou Renji waved his hand, then continued, "Let's not talk about that for now, Miss Ryougi, could you change your clothes?"
"Change my clothes?"
Shiki frowned slightly. She was currently wearing the white furisode, the one she brought from Earth. In terms of quality and specifications, it was more than enough for attending a banquet.
"I know this might seem unreasonable, but I would still like to ask you to change into the 'Spring' outfit."
Kujou Renji clasped his hands together with a sincere attitude. Shiki didn't sense any ill intentions, so she agreed to his request.
Anyway, it was just changing clothes. It was like another trip to Ogura Shop.
After changing her clothes, Shiki walked out of the room. Kujou Renji couldn't help but stare for a moment, then quickly recovered. She had someone she loved, after all.
However, he truly understood his older brother. A fair girl is a good match for a gentleman; he, too, felt bewildered seeing such a beautiful woman.
"Let's go." Shiki said.
"Oh!"
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